#TrendingGH: Ellembelle residents share views on hardships, rising costs ahead of 2024 elections

Correspondence from Daniel Kaku, Western Region:

Ahead of the December 7 general election, GhanaWeb’s Western Regional Correspondent, Daniel Kaku, visited communities in the Ellembelle constituency to gauge voters’ opinions on the government’s performance and the country’s peace.

During his visit, he observed issues including poor roads, youth unemployment, and illegal mining activities in the constituency. Ellembelle has over 75,000 registered voters set to participate in the upcoming polls.

A female apprentice from Aiyinasi advised young people not to let selfish politicians use them to cause trouble during or after the election.

"My advice is that we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be used to create trouble this year. Ghana is a peaceful country. If there’s conflict, we—ordinary people—will suffer the most, while politicians will have the means to leave. Let’s be careful," she urged.

She also expressed her disappointment in the current NPP government.

"God says we should speak the truth, and honestly, since the NPP came to power, they haven’t done much for us. We know Ghana is developing, but things aren’t going well under this government," she remarked. "Prices keep going up every day. I’ve never seen anything like this—we’re suffering."

She added, "I’m learning to sew and will graduate soon. A sewing machine used to cost GHC30, but now you can’t buy one for even GHC1000. I’ll vote based on my suffering and the situation in Ghana."

Another apprentice voiced his disappointment, saying, "The NPP government isn’t performing well at all. Prices keep rising every day—we can’t even afford a simple thread for tailoring. A yard of cloth now costs GHC30 or sometimes GHC70, and a bag of cement is GHC110, whereas it was GHC30 under the NDC. Life has become hard under this government."

A rice seller rated the government’s performance at 60% and predicted the NPP would be retained.

"The NPP has done well, though President Akufo-Addo failed to stop galamsey activities. I’d rate them 60%. I’ll vote for continuity because the Free SHS policy has been a big help to parents," he said.

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